1. Technical Field
The embodiments herein generally relate to electro-optic technology, and, more particularly, to electro-optic shutter devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are various types of conventional optical switches, each of which can be classified as either a passive optical switch or an active optical switch. Typically, a passive optical switch receives incoming light, and changes state based upon the received light. In this regard, some passive optical switches are semiconductors that employ two-photon absorption to activate, while other passive optical switches employ all-optical components and organic dyes. In contrast, active optical switches receive incoming light, and are activated and/or deactivated by a power signal.
Optical switches, as described above, are typically employed in telecommunications and fiber optic technologies, and may employ semiconductors or organic polymers. Typically, active optical switches are not employed to propagate images in a whole, un-encoded state, as this can easily be accomplished with a passive device. However, passive devices tend to suffer from several problems.
For example, although passive devices are inherently fast, their dynamic range is generally very limited, as there are only so many available molecules to respond. Thus, passive devices can saturate quickly. In addition, the fluence or irradiance threshold to turn a conventional passive device to the “on” state may be intolerably high, effectively preventing the device from performing its intended function.
Electro-optic shutters have a quick response time and good attenuation, but conventional active and passive shutters are generally unable to extinguish light evenly over the extent of the electro-optic element. Further, conventional devices are generally passive in nature, in that they use part of the incoming light transient to drive the device to a blocking state. This type of conventional construction has been found to be deficient in speed and effectiveness in blocking optical transients that would be harmful to a human eye or sensor.